1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shower curtain holders and, more specifically, to an hollow sphere, mountable on a shouwer curtain rod, in which the sphere has a slotted surface adjacent to an internally formed pin for supporting a portion of the shower curtain, and the like.
2. Prior Art
The number of times in which relatively commonplace devices are accepted by the public in spite of years of unsatisfactory service is surprisingly large. Shower curtain holders are illustrative of this group. The usual shower curtain holder is resilient metal or plastic hook, the wide bight of the hook riding on the shower curtain rod. The narrower bight of the hook carries the usual shower curtain grommet and engages the free end of the hook to secure the hook and the supported portion of the shower curtain on the rod.
This structure has a number of significant shortcomings. If the hook is produced from a metal, being exposed frequently to moist conditions, it is subject to an unsightly and damaging corrosive attack, unless a further expensive chrome plating or other corrosion resistant treatment is provided. Having about the same hardness as the shower curtain rod, the hook and the rod often produce a jarring sound whenever the shower curtain is thrust aside or drawn across the opening to the shower stall. Further in this regard, the hook, scraping against the surface of the rod tends to promote corrosive attack on the rod, to give the entire structure a most displeasing appearance. More disturbing, however, it the fact that after showering is finished, the wet surface of the curtain, hanging from an array of hooks, tends to gather into folds that can promote an unsightly growth of mold or accumulation of soap residue. This is, perhaps, a primary reason for the frequent replacement of shower curtains. The exposed grommets on the shower curtain also are a source of dissatisfaction, in that the usual hooks expose the associated grommets to view, creating thereby an aesthetically unpleasing appearance.
A few of these problems have been alleviated to a very limited extent through the adoption of plastic hooks. These plastic hooks nevertheless still fail to overcome the exposed grommet, mold and soap residue problem and produce a similar squeeky and jarring sound when the curtain is drawn across or back. Also both plastic and metal hooks having one contact point on the rod cause not only the jarring sound but also a resistance to movement which causes the operator to tug harder on the end of the curtain, ofter over time causing the plastic grommets or curtain to stretch or tear at the ends.
Accordingly, there is a need for a sturdy, relatively inexpensive shower curtain holder that will not scrape the shower curtain rod or corrode, that glides easily and diminishes risk of tearing the shower curtain and that sustains the shower curtain in a manner that promotes the rapid draining and drying of the wet curtain surface to inhibit mold growth and soap residue accumulation.